The Film and Publication Board (FPB) on Friday welcomed Multichoice’s decision not to launch a porn channel, saying it was in the best interests of children.
“This is a victory for the children’s right movement as well as for the general public,” its chief executive officer Yoliswa Makhasi said in a statement.
There was little doubt that children’s exposure to pornographic material may be considered a form of sexual abuse, she said.
The FPB had opposed Multichoice’s porn channel proposal on the grounds that the Film and Publication Amendment Act, 2009, prohibited the distribution and broadcasting of hardcore pornography on public platforms.
“Films of this nature should only be distributed in licensed adult shops … or through other suitable channels as regulated by the FPB,” said Makhasi.
The proposed porn channel generated a storm of complaints from a number of religious, political and children’s rights groups.
The FPB’s reaction followed that of Solidarity’s Helping Hand, which also described the decision as a “victory” for children in South Africa.
“Helping Hand thanks the more than 47 000 South Africans who, to date, have stood up and said no to pornography,” executive director Dr Danie Langner said in a statement.
“The victory shows that every South African has a voice and can take a stand against decisions that promote the moral decay of our country.
“South Africans will not simply go along with decisions that may have harmful consequences.”
Deputy home affairs minister Malusi Gigaba said on Friday that the satellite television service’s contemplation of a 24-hour porn channel was “inconceivable”, risking children to unnecessary
exposure.
Campaign against the channel
In a statement on Thursday, MultiChoice said the idea for a 24-hour porn channel had been abandoned.
Chief executive officer Nolo Letele said their research had indicated while a significant portion of subscribers were against adult channels, some were indifferent and others supported the idea.
MultiChoice announced last month that it was conducting research on the proposed channel.
The announcement sparked objections from some organisations and prompted Solidarity to launch a campaign in which the public voted against the launch of the channel.
By Wednesday, 41 381 South Africans had already voted no to the channel in Solidarity’s Helping Hand campaign.
“It was unfortunate that the research conducted was misinterpreted by some people to mean that a decision was made to introduce an adult content channel on our bouquets,” Letele said.
He said MultiChoice regularly conducted research to gauge viewer’s tastes and impressions of existing and new television channels.
This research often included questions looking at content requested by consumers or channels that had proved popular abroad, Letele said.
“The research survey conducted about three weeks ago focused on adult content, since some competitors about to launch in South Africa may or may not include adult channels on their services,” he said. – Sapa